School of Education
“Teaching is our passion.......Learning is our profession.”
Dean: Timothy Wall, Director, Teacher Education
Assistant Director: Sue Wood
Director, Horace Mann School: Laura King
Director, Early Childhood Center: Cindy Rouner
Faculty, Professional Education Unit: Robyn Akins, Kristina Alexander, Jill Baker, Johannah Baugher, Cathy Dennis, Shantel Farnan, Dan Gordon, Nissa Ingraham, Jeongae Kang, David Kiene, Tamara Lynn, Susanne Nuttall, Gregory Rich, Victoria Seeger, Sandy Seipel, Everett Singleton, Linda Gray Smith, Tim Wall, Sue Wood
Faculty, Horace Mann School: Elizabeth Apodaca, Kathryn Ball, Nancy Farlow, Brandy Haughey, Andrea Mason, LeDonna McIntosh, Gina McNeese, Mary Shields
Early Childhood Center Personnel: Erica Buck, Meghan Sheil, Michelle Vaught, Erika Yocom
The School of Education includes the Professional Education Unit; the Horace Mann Laboratory School; and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families.
The School contributes to all facets of education within the University by providing courses which assist students in fulfillment of the Northwest Core courses; offerings leading to the completion of B.S.Ed. degrees; and elective coursework. The Professional Education Unit offers undergraduate programs in elementary education, early childhood education, middle school education, secondary education, and special education.
The professional preparation programs in the School of Education and the Professional Education Unit are accredited by the Missouri State Board of Education (2014) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Information regarding program advisement, requirements, and certification may be obtained from the following people:
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Program
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Coordinator
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Early Childhood Education
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Elementary Education
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Sue Wood
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Middle School
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Linda Gray Smith
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Secondary Education
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Linda Gray Smith
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Special Education
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Shantel Farnan
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| Post-baccalaureate |
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| Alternative Certification |
Dan Gordon
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| Pre-Admission Education Advisor |
Jill Baker
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Vision Statement
The vision of the School of Education is to provide highly competent professionals who are lifelong learners, reflective thinkers and ethical leaders exemplifying the ideas of literacy, scholarship, and social justice in a diverse and ever-changing world.
Mission Statement
The mission of the School of Education is to create learning communities in which students and professionals develop partnerships with families, communities, schools, businesses, and other public agencies to assist students in acquiring knowledge, skills, and values critical to a democratic society.
The goals of the School are to:
- Provide students a strong knowledge base in general education.
- Provide opportunities for specialization through majors and minors.
- Provide opportunities to develop values and ethics within the academic discipline.
- Provide opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate in research.
- Provide services to the community and surrounding region.
- Provide opportunities for continuing and graduate education.
Vision Statement for the Professional Education Unit
The Northwest Missouri State University Professional Education Unit prepares highly effective, ethical, professional educators who possess the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions in order to embrace the responsibility for the learning of all children in a diverse and dynamic society.
Mission Statement for the Professional Education Unit
The Northwest Missouri State University Professional Education Unit will be a catalyst for education excellence by preparing PreK-12 professional educators who apply best practices to positively impact learning.
Our Pledge:
Based upon our vision and mission, the Northwest Missouri State University Professional Education Unit serves education candidates as our primary focus in order to develop professionals who:
- Possess the requisite level of knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions;
- Model integrity and professionalism;
- Promote social justice, the inherent worth of each individual, and the ideals of a democratic society;
- Facilitate an educational environment that embraces diversity;
- Collaborate and build partnerships with educational professionals, students, parents, communities, and other social agencies; and
- Use technology in a meaningful, purposeful, and authentic manner.
Continuous Improvement and Program Quality
The Professional Educational Unit (PEU) organizational structure is designed to maximize input from and empowerment of the entire education community. Cross-functional teams of college faculty, PreK-12 faculty, and students function to ensure continuous study and improvement of programs and processes around issues of importance to the college, such as technology integration, a curriculum representative of our nation’s diversity and consistent evaluation of assessment data on program performance.
One source of input for program improvement is gathered from Comment Cards available online at the Northwest website for use in bringing issues of importance to the attention of the appropriate administrator. Students may use these cards to share comments, suggestions or complaints regarding an office, department, program or activity in the University community. All Comment Cards relating to teacher preparation are compiled for reporting of issues and opportunities for program or process improvements to the Council on Teacher Education.
Teacher Education Resources
| Professional Education |
Cheryl Malm, Assistant Director |
| Educational Field Experiences |
Gregory Rich, Director |
| Horace Mann School |
Laura King, Principal/Director |
| Teacher Certification |
Kim Hullinger, Certification Officer |
| Teacher Education Student Services (TESS) |
Amy Wilson, Coordinator |
| Alternative Certification |
Kim Hullinger, Coordinator |
| Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families |
Cindy Rouner, Director |
Professional Education Unit Assessment
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Michael McBride, Coordinator
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| Regional Professional Development Center |
Rebecca Baldwin, Director |
Requirements
Changes to programs during this catalog cycle may be made related to changes in certification requirements and/or program changes approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
All education majors are required to purchase the Tk20 assessment package. Students who have not purchased the subscription will not be admitted into the Professional Education Unit.